Artemis Fowl: The Dublin Crisis
by DoctorR
Summary: Artemis Fowl has been gone for three years in Limbo, and the world has moved on without him. Only Butler, Minerva, and the highest ranking LEP officials knew that Hybras would return to Earth. Although prepared, the appearance of demons cannot be contained by Sector 8 and humans might just discover fairy existance. It is up to the two child genii to stop an impending war.
1. Chapter 1: A Fowl Mood

_Sidenote: I will try to respond to all comments (if applicable) but i doubt many people will read this so if you comment you will most likely yfind a response. _

_Disclamer: All characters that have previously appeared in the Artemis Fowl series are the property of Eoin Colfer. Only Alain Beauchamp and a few others are mine._

_And also thanks to AgiVega for getting me hooked on ffnet and for showing me what a high-quality fanfiction story looks like._

**Chapter 1: A Fowl Mood**

On a hot day in Nice, France, a young girl sat under the shade of a tree on the grounds of a beautiful estate. Her stunningly beautiful face was etched with sorrow, her eyes staring off into the distance. Minerva Paradizo had spent much of her time there ever since _he_ had entered her life, and exited it just as sudden as he had entered it. She still remembered the first time she had ever laid eyes on him. It was a beautiful day in Barcelona, and they both had been anxiously awaiting the same target to appear. She remembered how her only feelings were those of anger and pride. Her thoughts had been consumed with the idea of a Nobel Prize, hers for the taking with the discovery of demons, magic, and time travel.

But Artemis Fowl had beaten her to it, and she had awaited her next chance in Sicily. Then, she thought she had won when she successfully captured a demon, but Artemis Fowl used demons and technology to make away with her prize. Then, her bodyguard, Billy Kong, turned on her in a mad craze to kill all of demonkind. Minerva had been kidnapped and Artemis Fowl, using a genius that only Minerva herself could rival, he traded hostages for _her_. He actually seemed worried about her. He gave up his demon in an risky plan to save her.

Her logical side told her that it was simply a genius trying to look out for another genius, because of their similarities. But her emotional, fifteen year old girl side said that he felt not only lonely in a world unreceptive to genii, but he felt an attraction towards her. And then he sacrificed himself to save her and so many innocent people. This did not characterize Fowl in the same light that reading about him online did. According to every source on the Internet about him, he was a cold, calculating criminal mastermind who had not even reached puberty yet, and would do almost anything to obtain more money. But, there were a few shining differences in that sea of black facts.

He saved his father a year previous to his encounter with her, and he had recently started to liquidize his illegal ventures and transfer them into more legitimate businesses. Through her research of him, she concluded that a change occurred in him, around five years ago, or two years before his disappearance. She theorized that the change was when he had his first dealings with demons. But, for three years, she had anxiously awaited his arrival from the other side of the time tunnel between Earth and the demon homeland. If he even made it back at all. _No! He __will__ make it back! He has to, after all, I only had so little time with him. _

Her mind had, over the years, dramatized him and romanticized him to the point where she had made up more about him and fanaticized more about him than she actually knew of him. But to her, it was all the absolute truth. In fact, the occurrences in which she had wrought caused her to continue no major research into the field of magic and demons. On top of her growing list of patents, she had been reading a lot of fiction, and also reading with Butler, Artemis's manservant, bodyguard, and oldest friend. He had unfortunately refrained from speaking about Artemis's magical adventures, with the exception of the facts that he had had many of them, and that if Butler had told any more than she already knew than the demons would be forced to mindwipe her, and that was an experience that did not sound pleasant or advantageous to her health.

But, for now, she had to live without knowledge of demons, and without Artemis, the latter of which being the more sorrowful to her, causing her to spend much of her time sulking, as she was right now, under trees on her estate.

"Twins?" inquired Artemis as Butler and he conversed after three years (on Butler's side) and a day (on Artemis's side) of separation. "Yes, they are quite the little Fowls. Myles seems to be another Fowl trademark genius, but Beckett seems to have acquired the athleticism that both you and Myles were not given. Yup, the Fowls seem to be a talented bunch, no matter how you look at it." These words had profound meaning to Artemis. Not only had he missed the birth of his two brothers, but he had missed enough of their lives for them to have developed personalities. "Butler, where does my family think I am?" Artemis said with dread. Butler's response was "Let's just say they aren't expecting to see you ever again." Artemis immediately ran outside of the cottage, and to the teams of LEP Sector 8 officers.

Once he found whom he presumed was in charge, standing next to Holly, he stopped to catch his breath. "I need to get home immediately!" The elf in charge looked taken aback "Who are YOU to be giving me orders? I am Wing Commander Vinyaya, and a member of the fairy People's Council. I am the one giving orders here, Mud Boy, not you." She said this with a cold hardness, and Artemis didn't need his PhD in psychology to know that she would lock him up in a cell for an eternity if he challenged her authority. But Artemis Fowl was not one for modesty. "And I happen to be the one responsible for stopping a teenage genius from exposing the fairy world to the humans, and I happen to have played a major part in returning Hybras back to Earth from Limbo, and, more importantly, returning it to a reasonable time after we left. And my family thinks I have been missing for the last three years, and I now have twin brothers! So, I repeat, I need an escort to Fowl Manor, and quickly." Artemis displayed an unusual bout of emotion with these words, and so when Wing Commander Vinyaya was about to probably give the order to lock him up in Howler's Peak, Holly stepped in front of Vinyaya.

"Commander, with all due respect, this human has been vital to containing this situation, and he has a past record of helping the People. And he has just returned from saving us once more to find that the world has moved on without him. Three years is a long time for a human, Commander. He deserves a break this one time."

Vinyaya looked surprised that Captain Short had spoken out for a Mud Boy. She saw that they had become close after all their adventures together. It brought back memories of Commander Root and her as LEPRetrieval officers… But now was not the time for daydreaming. "Fine. Since you vouched for him, you can be the one to fly him back. Take one of the shuttles and get back ASAP. Now!" Even Artemis knew when to follow an order. He and Holly immediately found themselves a shuttle and began the flight to Fowl Manor.

The whole ride, Artemis was silent. He had three things that he just couldn't clear from his mind. First, he felt guilty about having lied to Holly about his stolen magic. Secondly, he was scared of how his return would affect his family, who had probably moved on by now. And thirdly, the image of Minerva Paradizo was stuck in his mind. He knew he would not be satisfied until he went to France and visited her. When they arrived at Fowl Manor, Artemis drug his feet to the house. He knocked on the door, and waited until the door opened. "Hello?"


	2. Chapter 2: A Trip to the Mainland

_Sidenote: I will be trying to upload a new chapter every week, or at a minimum of five days, so that i don't run out of time to write the next chapter(s). _

_Comments:_

_Xodiac 451- Thanks for the review, compliment, and luck given. It means a lot to have my first review be positive._

_Squideepoo- Yeah I always wondered what happened to her after The Lost Colony. And, I don't plan on abandoning my first FanFic_

**Chapter 2: A Trip to the Mainland**

In the months following his return to Fowl Manor, Artemis had gotten to know his baby twin brothers, and explained his ordeal to his parents. Sort of. He told them that he had been kidnapped by Billy Kong because of Minerva Paradizo's mistakes, and that Butler had thought that Kong had killed him so he didn't go back for him. And Artemis said that Taiwanese officials had finally caught Kong and freed Artemis recently. Thankfully, and with a small bit of the _mesmer_, his parents bought the story, and Butler seemed to agree that it was the best cover-up. But now, Artemis was sitting in his room, gazing out the window and onto the sprawling green of Fowl Manor. "You know you should really get out there and do something. The world has to know that its youngest criminal mastermind has returned." Butler's voice shook Artemis out of his thoughts. "Yes Butler, I know, but how should I present myself? I can't just walk around Dublin yelling about my return. If the world learns that I am back, then it will be because of another achievement, like a patent or a business venture." Artemis knew too well what Butler had really meant and was purposefully skirting around it. Butler knew that Minerva would want to know that he was back. "Minerva's next school vacation is summer break. She will be going to the cottage in a few weeks, and when she finds that I am not there, she will find out. She has a habit of finding out things that she shouldn't know, just like another certain someone." Artemis looked away, suddenly tired. He had already come up with another patent on a solar panel that rotated with the movement of the sun. He just didn't want to release it yet because he was afraid Minerva would find out and realize that he didn't visit her right after returning. "Fine Butler. You win. I will be on the next flight to France." And with that, Butler exited Artemis's room, allowing the teenage genius some time to pack. _I'd better go tell Artemis Senior and Angeline about his trip. Heaven knows, he'd probably just leave without saying anything._

Six hours later, Artemis was aboard a flight to Nice, France. Unfortunately, Chateau Paradizo was outside of Nice, and into the country of France, so Artemis and Butler would have a devil of a time finding it. Yet, only one hour and sixteen minutes (Artemis had counted) later, the odd pair arrived at the gates of Chateau Paradizo. Their new security manager, one Butler had handpicked for Minerva, was Alain Beauchamp, an ex-French Secret Service member who excelled in security. Once Butler's name had cleared through Minerva and her father's contact list, the iron gates opened and the rented BMW kept going down the gravel path. Artemis was thankful for the tinted windows as they approached the end of the path, and Minerva was waiting for them (waiting for Butler actually, as she did not know of his return yet). For one of the extremely few times in his life, Artemis was stunned.

Minerva had beautiful golden hair that curled around her shoulders, and brilliant green eyes with a sparkle that only a genius could have. She was barely older than Artemis himself (in bodily terms) but Artemis needed none of his genius to know that her beauty would turn even an old, crotchety man's saddest day bright. While Artemis was busy being shocked, Butler stepped out of the car and embraced the young woman. He saw them exchange a few words, that presumably went "I have a surprise for you, Minerva," and "well it'd better be good because I was in the middle of an experiment when you called." Artemis had been so wrapped up in her beauty that he'd not noticed her white lab coat. "It's better than good," Butler replied, and he slowly, painstakingly walked up to the car door. _Butler you old dog, you must have a flair for the dramatic after all. _When he reached the door, Minerva had already guessed what was inside. But she couldn't believe it, not without seeing it. The door opened, and a gasp was the only sound.

Captain Holly Short, after being briefed on the most recent three years, was assigned to the Demon Guard, a group of Sector 8 officers who would go around the world trying to find demons who had "fell" off of Hybras through its passage in time. Thankfully, demons were known for their strong will and there weren't so many. The pay was good, and with fewer and fewer sightings Holly Short was living in luxury. Her apartment was sold so she could buy a new, nicer one closer to Sector 8 headquarters. Also, she was one of the few fairies alive that was able to call a demon her friend, seeing as most were in therapy trying to curb their bloodlust towards humans and living beings in general. But No1 was a different breed than the rest. He was possibly the most powerful warlock ever to exist, and, by nature, was extremely peaceful and pacifist.

Today she was enjoying some sim-coffee with No1, and they were chatting about none other than the notorious Mud Boy genius Artemis Fowl. "Holly, I really don't see how our friend was that, that _evil_ when he was only twelve. I'm older than that and I can't even imagine doing the things he did. I mean, some of the demons are pretty bloodthirsty but they aren't bad really. Except Abbot, but he was thousands of years old and had the magical powers of a warlock. I just don't see how it's possible." Holly let out an exasperated sigh. "He's a genius, and even though I would never say it to his face, one of the smartest people alive, including fairies. And his father was one of the most infamous criminals of our time. It's a wonder how we even managed to change him at all." No1 still didn't seem convinced. But he was willing to forego the conversation until later, because he had something more important to talk about. After a few sips of sim-coffee, he tried to casually say "hey, your job might become impossible in the next few months, so take it easy now while you have the chance but get prepared for the worst." But, brains have a funny way of taking what you meant to say and squishing it into one breath out of nervousness, so it ended up sounding like "Youneedtogetpreparedforanincomingdisasterandrestw hileyoucan." That is, by the way, a lot to say in one breath, especially if you have a small lung structure like imps have.

"What do you mean by 'disaster'?" Holly asked as No1 took a breath. He started to inhale for another run-on sentence but Holly quickly stopped him, saying "hold it there, No1, you need to calm down first so I can understand what you say perfectly. If there's a disaster coming, then I want to be able to understand what it is. That means no rushing, okay?" No1 took three deep breaths and counted to six, a trick Qwan taught him in order to calm down before a particularly difficult spell.

"Okay, so when Qwan was reviewing the mechanics of a time-tunnel, he ran the equations as to how people appear when they fall out of the time stream. He did this and showed how they appeared in what seemed like random places and times, but he said that there's a distinct pattern that becomes obvious once you notice it. He said 'there are periods of time when several objects will appear from the time stream at the exact same time in many different places.' He told me the equation for the time jumping-objects, and when I was running them at night to try and see the pattern, I stumbled across a section of the pattern that was just like the one Qwan described, a struggled to find out when it was. Well, this morning, I found out. September 14th. In exactly three months, there will be thirty two demon appearances around the world, and the number will continue to be high for another month. But then, most of the demons will have died of starvation and won't be travelling, so, on the bright side, your job will be catastrophic in three months, and over in four." And with that, Holly sprinted out of the café, leaving No1 sitting at the table alone. "How rude. Now I'm all alone."


	3. Chapter 3: Catching Up

_Note: Sorry for the late update but I was sick and busy for a while. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long to post._

_Comments:_

_44Lefty: I might put him in. But, he doesn't appear in the actual series other than __The Lost Colony__, so I just might make a reason for that. :3_

Chapter 3: Catching Up

"Artemis!" screamed Minerva once her initial shock had worn away. She ran up to him, clearly intending to embrace him, but then her genius side kicked in and she realized that she was about to hug someone who she had only known for a few days. She stopped right in front of him, and in an attempt to regain some dignity, she straightened her back and addressed him, "Eh, herm. Hello Master Fowl." Unlike Minerva, Artemis's composure did not waver for a moment.

"Hello, Miss Paradizo. I believe you have been expecting me." Minerva now was able to keep her emotions in check. "Yes indeed. Three years have passed, but I knew you would be back." The dark look that swept across his face told her that he did not want to be reminded. "Master Fowl and Butler, why don't you two come in for a drink? We can catch-up on what we missed." She was unable to hide her glee any longer, and let out a huge smile that Artemis couldn't see due to her turned back.

Inside the mansion, Minerva led the pair through long corridors and into a nice, pleasant sitting room with a couch and three comfortable-looking chairs. Even though they had come for drinks, no one asked for one when a servant offered to get them. Everyone was too busy with the other members in the room to be thirsty.

A silence permeated the room, as the two teenage genii observed each other, and the great manservant was watching the two, seeing how they would interact. When it was clear neither meant to say anything anytime soon, Butler broke the silence. "I think I left something in the car. Please excuse me as I go fetch it." Despite how rare an occasion it was for Butler to forget something, neither of the teenagers even glanced in his direction. They were both top-notch psychologists and saw through Butler's ploy before he had even finished his sentence. Once the huge manservant had left the room the silence continued. It was a battle of patience.

Minerva broke first. Possibly because she was ever-so-slightly more emotional than Artemis, and possibly because she could not have observed him any more if she had not spoken. "Artemis, thank you. I never got the chance back in Taipei, so now I'm saying it. Thank you for saving me from that awful man." Artemis, ever the gentleman, casually replied "You are very welcome, Miss Paradizo." Then he did something very un-Fowl like.

"Miss Paradizo, you caught my eye in Barcelona, even before Sicily. At the time, I attributed it to your prettiness. Now I realize that it was my intuition, recognizing another genius. Miss Paradizo, Minerva. I hope you were worth saving." His cold demeanor shocked Minerva.

This whole time Minerva had hoped that Fowl would just unconditionally like her, not having anything to do with being probably two of the five smartest people in Europe. She wanted to spend time with someone who actually could relate to her, who knew what she was going through when no one else could figure it out. She wanted someone who understood.

Several kilometers belowground, Holly Short rushed through the crowded streets of Haven. Several times she almost ran into families that were walking next to each other, blocking the whole sidewalk. The moment she reached the secret entrance to the Sector 8 headquarters, she hopped through the non-vehicle entrance, a hologram of a rock that, when passed through, reveal a rather high tech corridor.

Elves and gnomes bustled about, busy with the seemingly endless work of Sector 8. She sprinted by, almost knocking down a pixie with a stack of papers taller than he was. "Watch it, elf!" He yelled, desperately trying to keep the paper from tipping over. "Sorry!" Holly yelled over her shoulder.

Commander Vinyaya was immersed in what looked like a very important conversation with Commander Kelp when she arrived. "Commander!" Both Commanders looked up. "Captain Short, you are interrupting a very important conversation, and a classified one at that. So unless whatever you're about to say is of vital importance to the People, you're going to be on traffic duty with Chix Verbil for a month."

Holly really didn't like the sound of that, but she needed to make sure that the Commander knew of coming disaster. It never occurred to her until now that Vinyaya already knew. "Well Wing Commander," Holly said rather sheepishly, "No1 warned me of a disastrous increase in the amount of demon appearances in three months."

Vinyaya did not look happy after she said this. "Captain Short, you are now on traffic duty for three months! Did you really think that I wouldn't know that we're going to have twenty appearances in September?" Holly almost started to walk away, when she realized what Vinyaya just said.

"But Commander, No1 said there would be thirty two in just one day." Wing Commander Vinyaya looked just about fed up at this point. "Captain Short, there is no point in making up lies just to save yourself from three months' traffic duty! I have wasted eno-" No1 chose this moment to speak from where he had walked up, unnoticed. "Excuse me Wing Commander, but Holly isn't lying. I ran the formulas and there is going to be exactly the number of appearances that Holly stated, and exactly when she stated." Holly looked back at Vinyaya, who was absolutely shocked to see the little demon siding with the Captain. "Then why didn't Foaly detect it with his calculations?" Commander Kelp decided now was an appropriate time to enter the conversation. "Raine, why don't we go ask the centaur himself?"

Butler, Minerva, and Artemis all spent the afternoon touring the grounds of Chateau Paradizo. But it was not like a friend introducing their house to other friends. No, it was more like Minerva was the tour guide and Artemis and Butler were on vacation. Formality was the only tone, and no emotions were expressed.

When at last the group came back to where they began, Artemis was not unhappy to leave. "I'm afraid, Miss Paradizo, that Butler and I must retire for the day. We must get back to our hotel room, as we have an early meeting with a French business man tomorrow." Minerva simply smiled and said "then I will see you tomorrow, Master Fowl." Artemis looked puzzled. "Why will you see me tomorrow?" Minerva gave Artemis the vampire-like grin that only he himself had used before. "Why, because that French business man happens to work for me"


End file.
